What's the word on going from cold-warm, etc?

If you refridgerate your beer, then remove it and let it go back to room temp, and then repeat (any number of times), does this hurt the flavor of the beer?

Along that same line, I am currently fermenting a Kolsche, and some people have recommended cold conditioning it during the secondary fermentation phase. I was thinking of sticking the fermenter in my fridge, but I figure after conditioning is done, I will bottle some and keg the rest... both of which may go back to room temperature at some point. Is that bad?

Lastly, do people frequently do ale secondary fermentation at cold temps? any reason to do so?

Repeated cooling/heating will cause a permanent chill haze in unfiltered beer.

If you can get the secondary fermentation 50-60 degrees F that lowers the risk of yeast autolysis (exploding yeast guts in the beer). So cool fermentation is a good thing but not necessary.

I know that cycling BMC will cause foul flavors, but I'm talkng ice water to 100+ on sequential trips of dirt biking in the desert.

Don't lagers go through one cycle of warming to get rid of some undesirables? Why would it hurt ales?

casebrew said:

Don't lagers go through one cycle of warming to get rid of some undesirables? Why would it hurt ales?

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You're referring to the diacetyl rest. Take them to 68-70 for a few days at the end of fermentation. This makes the yeast eat the diacetyl to get rid of it. Repeated heating and cooling will cause suspended protien chains to stay together thus making the beer hazy.